Delicate
by chancetofly24
Summary: Six months after they're rescued and Kate is on the run, Jack has pretty much given up hope of seeing her again. But when Kate contacts him, everything changes.. Please R&R!
1. Chapter 1

It had been six months. Six months since the day they had been rescued off the island they knew as their home for so long. Every day was like another blur to Jack – he couldn't remember what he'd had for breakfast the very same morning, or what color tie he had on without looking. Sometimes, he couldn't even remember where he lived – the thought of living at an actual street address being so foreign after the two years on the island.

But he remembered her.

He remembered every detail about her – the gold flecks in her hazel eyes, the way her freckles stood out in the sun and made her even more beautiful than she already was, the look in her eyes when she heard about the boat coming to save them from the island. He remembered sinking, and the guava seeds, and most of all, the golf game. They had finished, with her winning of course, and when they got back to the beach, everything had changed. He had been so happy until he saw the look in her eyes, the fear. He felt her world crumbling in on itself, and his went with hers. She was so much a part of him that anything she did, anything she felt, affected him and his world. He tried to reassure her, tell her it would be okay, but he knew it wouldn't. And he was right – they handcuffed her as soon as they saw her on the shoreline. She didn't put up a fight, but he knew how much it was killing her inside, to be humiliated like this in front of the people she had come to know as the closest thing to family she had.

And then she ran. He hadn't even gotten off the boat yet, was still waiting in line, when he saw her take off. They had taken off her handcuffs momentarily, and in that second, her instincts had kicked in. She ran as fast as she could, pushing through the reporters and media that gathered around the dock, blinding everyone with the constant flash of their cameras. He didn't know where she had run to, or how she had gotten away, but he knew she was still on the run. He hadn't talked to her in six months, though it felt like six years to Jack.

He'd tried to push her out of his mind, focus on the work he had to do and move on with his life. He even went out on a few dates with people Silverman had hooked him up with, but the whole time, he was thinking of Kate. Wishing to be with her, to just talk to her for one more minute so he could tell her how he felt. Sure, there were hard times on the island with Kate – they always seemed to have a back-and-forth relationship and he didn't understand a lot of what she did or how she needed him to respond – but regardless, she was a part of him - a part that he missed and longed for every single day.

So he waited for the day that he would be able to see her again, to talk to her. He waited and hoped because that and his memories were all he had left.


	2. Chapter 2

"JACK!"

The scream jolted him as he looked around wildly, trying to locate the voice that he knew was Kate.

"JACK! Jack, I'm over here!"

He ran blindly, not looking where he was going, just focusing on her. He had missed her for so long and now here she was, but what – hurt? Upset? He had to find her.

"Jack!"

He could tell he was almost there, the voice was getting closer. His surroundings were a blur as he searched frantically for Kate. She yelled out again, and he realized she was behind him. He turned around and –

"Good morning L.A.! It's currently 8:52 AM on a bright, sunny Thursday! The forecast looks good for this afternoon, not a cloud in the sk-"

Jack groaned as he reached over and hit the snooze on his alarm clock. Sunlight poured in through the curtains, hitting his eyes like shards of glass. He hadn't been sleeping well lately to begin with, but adding in the nightly dreams about Kate – always her calling to him, always him waking up before he could get to her, see her even – made it more miserable. He was surprised they still let him do surgeries at the hospital, since he averaged about four hours of sleep per night and must look like a zombie wandering around. He didn't even bother looking in the mirror anymore when he was getting ready – what was the point? He knew he looked horrible; he didn't need to be reminded of that. There was no one that he wanted to impress, he just wanted to get his job done and go home to sink into night after night of restless, dream-filled sleep.

Sighing, he slowly sat up in bed, rubbing his temples. He sure could use some extra sleep this morning after that nightmare, but he had a surgery on an 8-year-old boy in an hour. As he got out of bed and started the shower, he mentally reviewed the surgery, hoping that it would help him wake up and focus on his day ahead. But it just made him more tired, thinking about the dangers the boy faced if the surgery went wrong, and how scared he would be if it was his own child,_ their_ own child. He shook his head, trying to clear his mind of the thoughts – after all, he hadn't even told Kate how he felt about her, let alone planning out their future with kids!

He got dressed and left the house, driving to the hospital as slowly as he could. Before the crash, he used to have a small case of road rage; no one ever moved fast enough for Jack the doctor, in a hurry for a surgery he would unquestionably succeed in performing. But now he liked to take his time. Maybe it was his time on the island that had changed him, because now he liked to take in the sights on his way to work. The kids running to school, the herds of people crossing at crosswalks when the light was red. He loved just sitting, listening to the music in his car as loud as was appropriate, and watching the people around him in another world with a completely different set of concerns and worries than his own. It fascinated him, yet it made him too aware of the fact that she wasn't sitting next to him, sharing this feeling with him. He took in a deep breath and released it slowly, trying to focus on something else beside the fact that everything in his life since the crash came down to her, always her.


	3. Chapter 3

_**Here's the next chapter, I hope you like it. Thank you for all of your reviews! As always, thank you to Jess.. without your help this fic probably wouldn't even be written, let alone be decent:)**_

Jack walked quickly through the parking garage, heading for his black SUV. He was wearing only his scrubs, with his jacket in hand and a backpack over his shoulder. The surgery on the little boy had gone perfectly, as usual. But just as he was getting ready to leave the hospital, the attending in the ER had called and said they had two gunshot wounds that they were prepping for surgery. Jack had rushed back in to the operating room and had performed both surgeries on auto-pilot - two more successful surgeries to add to his repertoire. But at the moment, Jack was simply focused on going home, taking a hot shower, and crawling into bed for the rest of the day.

As Jack got closer to his parking space, he looked up and noticed something taped to his window. He couldn't make it out at first, but as he got closer, he realized it was a sealed envelope with a 'J' on it. He squinted at it before he picked it up, wondering who it could be from. Who would he know that would leave a message taped to his window instead of just calling him? He lifted the envelope off the window, turned it over, and ran his thumb under the flap across the top. Inside was a piece of notebook paper with scribbled writing on it:

"_Though we said goodbye_

_When the moon was high_

_Does your heart beat for me?_

_I wonder if I still linger_

_In your memory..._

_When you hear my name_

_Is the thrill the same_

_As it once used to be?_

_When you're lonesome, my sweetheart_

_Does your heart beat for me?"_

Kate. It had to be. Who else would leave him that kind of note?

His mind was spinning as he stuffed the sheet back into the envelope and unlocked his car. He got in and just sat, his eyes closed. He hadn't heard from Kate in six months, and suddenly, on a random afternoon, she leaves a note on his car? What was he supposed to do? Communicate with her through notes left on the windshield? Sighing, he turned the ignition and slowly backed out of his parking space.

By the time Jack got back to his house, he had thought of only two feasible options to the circumstances placed before him. Either he would wait by his car until Kate showed up, or he would leave her a note back. He preferred the first – he had been waiting to see her for so long, and while the note was an unexpected surprise, he wanted to talk to her face-to-face. But he knew that she was probably hiding, watching for when there were minimal people – and no security officers or policemen – around. So he figured his best option was to leave her a note back. He had to find the perfect thing to say though – he knew that one wrong word could send her back into hiding and ruin his chances forever, or it could turn out to be the best thing that had ever happened to him.

His mind still reeling from the situation, Jack took a quick shower, made something for him to eat, and sat down to watch some television and try to clear his mind. Two hours later, he was still in the same position, staring out into space. Although the television was on, he hadn't heard a single word they said. He was too busy racking his brain for something to write in his note to Kate. He didn't want to sound too corny or cheesy, but he wanted to relieve her doubts. Of course he still thought about her, wanted to talk to her, and missed her – his feelings for her consumed his entire being. He had never felt like this about anyone before, even Sarah, and it scared him. He had to make her understand that without scaring her off; his relationship with Kate was always very delicate and he didn't want to mess it up because it might be his only chance.

Knowing that he couldn't think of the answer that night, when he had to be up for another 12-hour shift in 7 hours, he went upstairs and got into his bed. Turning off the light and rolling on his side, he stared into the darkness, thinking of Kate and her beautiful face, before he finally drifted off to sleep.

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The next morning, Jack woke up before his alarm even went off. He had slept fitfully – his slumber was filled with dreams of Kate and different scenarios that always ended with her running away from him, never to be seen again. Jack sighed as he sat up, rubbing his eyes and trying to clear his head. He had wanted to leave Kate a note today, to guarantee that she wouldn't think he didn't care or something of the sort. However, he still hadn't been able to think of anything to write back. How could he put into words how much he cared about her, how he thought of her constantly? In the words of his father, he was a doctor, not a writer. So he figured he should find lyrics to use, just as Kate had. They would certainly be more eloquent that something he could say – after all, songwriters got paid to write that kind of stuff, right?

After showering and getting dressed, he grabbed his iPod before he left; knowing that while he was doing his paperwork for the day, he could put the songs on shuffle, in hopes of finding something good enough for his note to Kate.

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Rubbing his forehead, Jack squinted as he tried to decipher his own handwriting on a patient's chart. It was true what they said about doctors having horrible handwriting, but it usually didn't bother him. But today, his mind was preoccupied, and it made his mind fuzzy and his thoughts unclear. He looked up from the chart, and seeing it was already dark out, decided to pack up his work and head home. He wasn't getting any work done here – his thoughts drifted to Kate, the island, Sarah – so he might as well give up for the night and try again tomorrow.

Jack stood up, his iPod's headphones still in his ears, playing "Poprocks and Coke" by Green Day, and began shuffling his papers, trying to get them into some sort of order. He grabbed his leather briefcase and started shoving them into any space they would fit into. For a surgeon, he was surprisingly untidy – a trait that was reflected in the papers, pens, and other various items strewn across his desk. He shut the case and was grabbing his jacket as the first few notes of a familiar song began playing. He stopped, listening to the song – he couldn't place the title or singer, but he recognized the tune. As the song kept playing, he dropped his briefcase and jacket and walked back to his desk. He turned his computer back on, and opening up his browser, he typed in the lyrics he was looking for. Within seconds, the whole song popped up, and he pressed 'print'. Smiling to himself, he quickly folded the papers and stuffed them in his jacket pocket as he picked up his briefcase and walked out of his office, locking the door behind him. As he walked to the parking lot, his smile only got wider as he remembered the lyrics.

He had found the perfect thing to say to Kate, to make her stop running.


	4. Chapter 4

**_Thank you guys so much for all of your reviews! I hope you like this chapter.. next chapter things really start getting exciting! And there is lots of fluff (and angst) to come:)_**

**_As always, mucho thanks to Jess, the bestest ever!_**

Jack woke up to sunlight streaming through his windows and, for the first time in months, with a smile on his face. He stretched his arms above his head, sure that he looked like a fool grinning wildly. But he couldn't help himself – for once in his life, he had found the perfect thing to say. No stuttering or tripping over words, just the pure honest truth. He was thrilled at the possibility of seeing Kate that day, or even the next. At the same time, he was terrified. While he was eager to see Kate's reaction to the lyrics, and to know if she felt the same, he was never exactly good at putting himself out there. No one was, but this was especially hard for Jack. He had never felt this way about a woman before, not even Sarah. Was it love? Jack didn't want to jinx himself and say for sure, but the moment he read the note and all of the feelings about Kate suddenly intensified, he knew that he had been waiting for this day and he had to make the most of it.

With a smile still stretched across his face, he got out of bed and took a shower, making sure to shave carefully, but still leaving the slight stubble on his face. Knowing that he might see Kate today, he put on his best black dress pants and a long-sleeved maroon shirt that buttoned up the front, leaving the top two buttons undone. He put on his gold watch and, making sure they were spotless, tied his dress shoes on before looking in the mirror. He smoothed the front of his dress shirt down once more and finally satisfied, walked back into his bedroom. He sat down on the side of his bed and picked up the stationary he had bought the night before. It was simple, but more elegant than a piece of notebook paper. He knew that that was probably all Kate had been able to find, but he wanted to use special paper in his note back to her, as another hint of how much she meant to him.

Grabbing the folded up pieces of paper from his jacket pocket, he carefully copied the words onto the stationary using the neatest handwriting he could muster. He wanted to communicate with Kate, not make her figure out a puzzle, he thought as he smiled and slightly shook his head. After he wrote down the lyrics, he drew a small heart at the bottom and below it, a 'J'. Folding the paper in half, he carefully slid it into the envelope, licked the back, and put it in his briefcase.

As Jack was driving to the hospital, the smile that had been plastered on his face since the night before slowly faded. He had been so excited, so happy about the possibilities that lay before him, before both of them. But now, the doubts were creeping in. What if she had left already because he hadn't left a note immediately? What if she thought the lyrics were corny, or even worse – so true that she couldn't deal with it, and she ran away again? Endless questions seemed to pour into Jack's brain, making it even more difficult for him to reassure himself that everything was going to be okay. By the time he pulled into his parking space, his thoughts had calmed significantly. Closing his eyes and leaning his head back, Jack took one last calming breath, imagining Kate's face in his mind. Getting out, he took the tape from his pocket and carefully taped the envelope on the window. With the silly grin returning to his face, he grabbed his jacket and backpack and made his way into the hospital. With the draw of seeing Kate so real in his mind and heart, he knew he could face anything the day presented him with.

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Kate was standing on the sidewalk outside of the parking garage, pacing. She had only gotten to L.A. about two weeks ago, but already she was restless. After she had made her escape in Australia, she had worked a few odd jobs to save up some money, and got a flight back to the States. Once there, she had wandered around until she found a cop with an eye for brunettes. She had worked the usual charm on him and ended up being able to find out information about Jack – his address, which hospital he worked at, the make, model, and license plate of his car. She hated going back to her old lifestyle – seducing a guy just to get what she wanted and then ditching him and moving on. She hated that part of her, but it was one thing that she knew how to do well. Besides, she had to know where Jack was. As much as she didn't want to admit it, he was a part of her. Ever since the first day when she stitched him up, she felt a connection to him. He made her feel safe, and made her want to change. No one had made her feel like that since Tom, and that seemed like it was ages ago. He knew her better than anyone else had, and now he was gone. Just thinking of him and their last night together, her eyes started to tear. _"You always want to run away, Katie." "Yeah, and you know why." _She had always run, it was the thing she knew how to do best.

Reaching a hand up, she started twirling her hair. She had bought a very real-looking blonde wig at a shop in L.A. and a pair of trendy over-sized sunglasses that hid most of her face. She had caught a glimpse of herself in a shop window and found that she looked ridiculous, but she had figured that by staying at a women's shelter and wearing the wig and sunglasses, she was less likely to be found by anyone who might be looking for her.

She had been watching the parking garage at the hospital for a week now. She wanted to make sure that there weren't very many security officers and to be sure of the times when they were there and when their shift changes were. She had also gone into the hospital and, pretending to be an old friend of Jack's, successfully received a copy of his schedule after coming in on three consecutive days and telling the nurse how important it was to see him. She had watched him come to work and leave for two more days before she finally felt like it was safe enough to put her plan into action.

The day she left the note, she hadn't even stayed to see if he had gotten it or not. She was so nervous about his reaction that she couldn't bear to wait and see if it was bad. Since then, all she'd done was worry. Worrying wasn't a natural reaction for Kate – being on the run wasn't exactly conducive to worrying, just thinking fast and putting a plan into action. But she wasn't running away this time, she was running to something, someone. Jack. That made all the difference in the world. She's never been one for much sentimentality and romance, but this was different. And now here she was, twirling her hair like some senior in high school worried about getting a date to the prom.

Sighing, she leaned against the concrete post. Watching the people walk down the sidewalk, she barely noticed a black SUV driving up until she turned and saw it pull into a space marked 'Dr. Jack Shepard.' Her heart leaped into her throat at the sight of him getting out of his car, and she had to turn away. She was afraid that her intense gaze might make him sense someone's eyes on him, and she didn't need him seeing her right now, especially not when she would hardly be able to talk to him because of her nerves.

Trying to calm her nerves, Kate looked back and saw him walking into the hospital's double doors with his jacket and briefcase in hand, a huge grin on his face. All of her nerves quickly resurfaced as she saw him, thinking that there had to be another woman. He couldn't be that excited just to go to work, could he? She'd seen him every day for two weeks and every time he'd walked through those doors, he'd looked as if he was walking to his own death. She couldn't even imagine that he would be so happy because of her note. He had probably been so upset about it that he had wandered to a bar and met a great girl, and here he was, grinning from ear-to-ear because he was thinking of her.

Against her own will, her eyes started watering again. She knew she shouldn't have come here to do this. It was so out of character for her, how could she ever think it would work? Turning her face away from Jack, she blinked rapidly, trying to clear the tears from her eyes. As she did so, her eyes landed on Jack's black SUV, with something taped to the window. No, it couldn't be... could it? He left a note for her? Shaking her head, she looked around, making sure there was nobody watching her, before she started towards the vehicle. As she got closer, Kate saw that there was a light pink envelope taped to the window with a 'K' on it and a small heart in the corner. Blinking again, though this time not to dissipate tears but to make sure she wasn't imagining this, she lifted the envelope carefully off of the window. She turned it over in her hands twice before she finally stopped at the back. Lifting her hand, she ran her thumb under the top flap and pulled out a sheet of stationary folded in half. She unfolded it and looked at the paper – an off-white color with colored tropical flowers around the bottom left corner. She smiled, knowing that it was definitely Jack who had left this – the flowers were the same as some in Sun's garden on the island. With a faint smile still on her face, she saw the writing on the paper. Reading slowly, her eyes began watering again as a grin that matched Jack's filled her entire face.

"_It's hard to breathe when we're apart_

_You're that sunshine in my heart_

_I keep you here inside_

_And I know it's hard to believe_

_You're still the biggest part of me_

_All I'm living for_

_I still think about you_

_I still dream about you_

_I still want you and need you by my side_

_I'm still mad about you_

_All I ever wanted was you_

_You're still the one."_


	5. Chapter 5

_**Sorry it took so long for the update, but here's the next chapter! Thank you guys for all of your AWESOME reviews, I hope you like this one as much as the others! As always, thank you to Jess.. without you this chapter probably wouldn't have gotten written!**_

Jack fumbled with the keys in his attempt to unlock the door to his apartment, making him sigh dejectedly as the lock finally clicked and he pushed the door open. He hadn't had a very good day at work – they'd had to pull Jack out of another surgery to operate on a trauma patient, and another patient of his had died on the table. And on top of all of that, he hadn't seen Kate. He knew she'd been there, because when he got to his vehicle after his shift was done, the note was gone. But there was no indication that she had been there, no indication of how she felt about him or the note.

Leaving his shoes at the door, Jack draped his jacket over a chair and made his way to the kitchen. He poured himself a glass of water and, almost as a second thought, grabbed a beer from the refrigerator. He padded into the living room and sat down on his leather couch, putting his feet up on the wooden coffee table. He opened his beer and took a long sip before grabbing the remote to the stereo system. He pressed 'shuffle' and leaned back against the couch, closing his eyes as the first few chords of the song began to play.

_"I'm open, you're closed_

_Where I follow, you'll go _

_I worry I won't see your face_

_Light up again_

_Even the best fall down sometime_

_Even the wrong words seem to rhyme_

_Out of the doubt that fills my mind_

_I somehow find_

_You and I collide."_

Jack sat lost in his own thoughts while he listened to the lyrics of the song. In fact, he was so absorbed in his thoughts that he didn't even hear the sound of someone knocking on the door, until the sound grew so loud it almost made him jump. He opened his eyes, sat up, and put his glass down in one fluid motion. Turning down the stereo, he jogged quickly to the door, swinging it open without even looking to see who it was.

"Hey, sorry about that. Can I help you with something?" Jack asked, running his hand over his closely-cropped hair, hoping to not appear to be too flustered.

"Hey Jack," said the stranger, jolting Jack from his self-conscious thoughts. He quickly ran through his mind, trying to find a mental picture of someone he, or his mother, knew that had long blonde hair. He wasn't able to think of anyone off hand, but maybe it was someone he had met when he had first come back from the island. In that case, he definitely wouldn't have remembered them – everything was a fog, every person he met was just another face in the crowd.

"I'm sorry… do I know you?" Jack asked, shaking his head slightly and still trying to place the girl in his mind. '_Why does she look so familiar?_' Jack thought, waiting for the girl to respond.

Lowering her gaze, the girl reached her hand up and slowly pulled the oversized sunglasses down her face, tucking them into the pocket of her jeans and revealing the constellations of freckles dotted across her nose and cheeks. Without looking up, she reached up with her other hand and began tugging on her hair until it slowly came off, revealing a mass of unruly dark brown curls.

Without her even raising her face back up to his, he knew it was her.

"Kate," he breathed. After wanting to see her for so long and planning what he would say, he couldn't think of a single coherent thought. He just stood staring as she lifted her face back up to his, looking him directly in the eyes.

"Hey, Jack," she said, smiling shyly. He looked better than she had imagined. Seconds passed and, noticing he was still staring at her with wide eyes and an unbelieving expression, she laughed softly.

"Jack, now would be a good time to say something," she said, half-joking, with a small smile on her face. Her tone was teasing, but she was really worried. He hadn't said anything in over a minute, just stared at her like she was a ghost and was liable to disappear at any second. He had always been hard to read, but it had never bothered her – until now. She didn't know if he wasn't saying anything due to happy surprise to see her on his doorstep, or if he was trying to form words that wouldn't be too harsh in asking her to leave.

"I just.. I, you – What are you doing here?" Jack managed, still trying to wrap his mind around the whole situation.

"I was in the area and I found out your address, so I thought I'd pay a visit," Kate said, shrugging her shoulders in an attempt to distract Jack from the blatant lie she had just told.

"Kate…" he said, in a tone that she had heard him use before, when he knew she was lying. How could he see through her so easily? She looked at him, her green eyes pleading with his to forget about her life of crime for just one second, so they could enjoy each other's company.

Taking her cue, he looked down and offered a sheepish grin. "Would you like to come in?" He opened the door further, allowing her a view of the interior of his house, which elicited a slight gasp from her at the enormity of it.

Smiling gratefully, Kate brushed past him and stepped inside the living room. Looking around in awe, she could hardly believe she was standing here. She knew that doctors made good money, but outside of her imagination, she had never actually been in a house like this.

The living room had cathedral-style ceilings, which were accented by the wooden beams crossing the top. The whole room was painted a warm cream color that only enhanced the glow of the wood trim and accents. In the corner was a huge floor-to-ceiling brick fireplace, with pictures and some candles on the mantle. Surrounding the fireplace were a black leather couch and two leather armchairs, with glass and wood end tables.

"Not only are you an excellent spinal surgeon, but you have good taste too," Kate said, smiling over her shoulder at Jack as he closed the door.

"Ah," Jack said, grinning and coming up to stand next to her, "Why thank you! Guess I got more than just good doctor genes, huh?" He asked playfully, winking at Kate, who blushed and looked down. "So, can I get you something to drink?"

"Sure, I'll just have water," Kate said, turning and walking further into the living room as Jack walked through a door that she presumed was the way to the kitchen. She made her way to the mantle over the fireplace, eager to get a glimpse into the life of Jack that she didn't know.

There were only three pictures on the mantle, all arranged in the center. The first was a professionally taken photograph of his parents – his father in a gray suit and his mother in a fancy dress. The second was of a couple she didn't recognize – he was tall with short red hair, and she was shorter than him, her light blonde hair pulled back. They had their arms wrapped around two kids, a boy and a girl that looked like each respective parent. It looked like they were at a barbecue, maybe for the fourth of July.

Shaking her head and smiling at their enthusiastic grins, she focused on the last picture and, seeing its subject, inhaled sharply. She could hardly remember posing for the picture – it was right before they all got on the boat, after the officials had handcuffed her. They must have been feeling generous that day, because after they had gathered all of the survivors, they told them that they had a camera if they wanted to pose for a group shot. While some of them, mainly Sawyer, grumbled about taking a picture, most were eager to have a documented memory of their last minutes on the island. The survivors had all gathered together, wrapping arms around each others' shoulders and grinning like fools. Kate had stayed off to the side, sure that the guards wouldn't let her be a part of the picture, but at the last second, one of them nudged her towards the group, giving her a slight smile and an encouraging nod. She glanced back, but before she could even thank him, Jack was reaching forward and pulling her next to him in the shot. The rest was a blur – after the picture they had grabbed Kate and pulled her onto the boat, and the next thing she knew, she was running. But here, right in front of her, was the proof that it wasn't just a memory – she was standing next to Jack, behind Charlie and Claire holding Aaron, and he wasn't even looking at the camera. His head was turned, looking at her and smiling with a look of wonder on his face. Looking closer, she also noticed that his hand grasped hers tightly, already handcuffed.

She nearly jumped when she heard Jack's voice behind her, right at her ear. "That was quite the day, huh?"

Turning, she looked into his eyes and nodded. She could almost feel his hand in hers, calming her with his touch. How long had she yearned for that, thought about that? Almost every day on the island, and certainly every day since she had been on the run again. She had seen his ghost everywhere – New York, Texas, Colorado. Everywhere she went, she would be walking in a crowd and see his tall frame and short hair, only to realize it was her mind playing tricks on her. But none of that mattered, because she was here now. Hoping she wasn't as transparent as she feared, she cleared her throat and turned away from the pictures and from Jack, sitting down on one end of the couch.

"Here's your water," Jack said, handing her a bottle of cold water. She took it and nodded, putting it in her lap and staring at her hands. "So, Kate… you want to tell me why you're here?" he asked, placing one hand on the mantle and the other on his hip.

"I already told you, Jack, I was in the neighborhood and thought I'd pay you a visit," Kate said, meeting his gaze with defiant eyes, daring him to continue.

Sighing, he ran a hand over his forehead and dropped it to his side. "Are you still on the run, Kate?"

Her eyes automatically hardened at the words, giving only a sharp nod in response. They both knew the dangers of her even being here, let alone staying for more than one night. But she had worried so much that she was drained – it was in Jack's hands now.

He stared at her intensely, running over the options in his mind. He knew that it was dangerous for her to stay here, but what was he going to do, kick her back out on the streets? He wouldn't do that to anyone – but this wasn't just anyone, it was Kate. His Kate. He had waited so long to see her that sending her away didn't even seem fathomable, so he did the only thing that he could think of – the one thing he wanted.

"Well, I'm guessing you need a place to stay, and I know of a guest room with a comfortable bed, clean sheets, and a hot shower," he said, expressionless. He didn't know how Kate would respond after seeing her features harden so suddenly at his question. Even though he felt like letting the joy of his idea shine through to his face, he kept it under control, waiting to see Kate's response.

Erasing his fears, Kate sat up straighter and grinned ear-to-ear. "Sounds good," she said, still smiling. Maybe she had finally found the refuge she had spent so many years looking for.


End file.
